Top-roll mechanism.



L. T. HOUGHTON.

TOP ROLL MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 190g.

908,4:64.v v 7 V Patented Jan. 5,1909.

LEWIS T. HOUGHTON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOP-ROLL MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters IPatent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application filed April 9, 1908. Serial No. 425,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS T. Ho'UGH'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVorcester, county of Worcester, State of hlassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Top-Roll Mechanism, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to top roll mechanism and has for its object to provide a device for limiting the traversing movementof the roving or yarn as it passes through the top rolls As top roll mechanism is now usually constructed, the length of the traverse movement of the roving or yarn is considerably less than the length of the top rolls. The reason for this is because if the traverse movement were substantially as great as the length of the top rolls, the roving or yarn would be apt to be thrown off from the ends of the rolls at the end of its traverse movement, and if this occurred the yarn or roving would become broken and would .also become more or less wound up and entan led in the rolls. Where the traversing movement is considerably less than the length of the top rolls, the central portions only of the top rolls act on or have contact with the yarn, and as a result, said central portions only become worn and the end portions of the roll receive little or no wear.

The aim of my invention is to provide a mechanism which can be applied to or incorporated in top roll saddle mechanism and which will prevent the yarn or roving from being thrown off the ends of the rolls even though the traverse movement of said yarn or roving is increased to approximately the length of the top rolls. Where my invention is used, therefore, a longer traverse can be given to the roving and. the wear on the top rolls is distributed throughout the entire lengths thereof and consequently the rolls have a much longer life than where the wear is confined to a comparatively small portion thereof.

My invention may be applied to top roll mechanism in a great variety of ways, but for the sake of illustrating the invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings one embodiment thereof without, how ever, intending to limit myself at all to this particular embodiment.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a top roll mechanism on substantially the line w az, Fig. 2; Fig. 2

is a top plan view of Fig. 1 with the top rolls and top roll saddles removed; Fig. 3 shows a device embodying my invention and which is adapted to be applied to existing top roll saddles; Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view through a cooperating pair of top rolls.

In the drawings, I have shown the usual parts of top roll saddle mechanism, that is, the bottom rolls 3, the top rolls 4, the top roll saddle 5, the stirrup (3 which is suspended from the top roll saddle, and the weighted lever 7 which is hung from the stirrup and which has a fulcruming engagement with a fulcrum or eye 8 rising from the roller beam 9. The bottom rolls 3 are journaled in asuitable stand or frame 10 as usual and the ends of the upper rolls t are loosely journaled in recesses 11 formed in the arms or bearing members 12 which are sustained from the rod or support 13.

The yarn or roving 16 is fed to the top rolls through the usual trumpet mechanism 1% and these trumpets are mounted on a traverse member 15 which is given movement longitudinally of the rolls by any usual or suitable mechanism. The parts thus far described are such as are commonly found in top roll mechanism and form no part of my present invention.

In top roll mechanism as heretofore used the traverse mechanism has been arranged so that the trumpets have a traversing movement considerably less than the length of the top rolls, this construction having been adopted so as to prevent any possibility of the roving or yarn 16 from being carried beyond the ends of the rolls and thus becoming broken and entangled in the rolls.

As stated above my invention consists in providing a top roll mechanism with guard members which are preferably situated between the pairs of top rolls in position to limit the traversing movement of the roving or yarn and prevent the latter from being thrown off from the ends of the rolls. These guard members may be made in a great variety of shapes and may also be securedto the top roll mechanism in a great variety of ways. One convenient way of making them is that illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein a piece of sheet metal is stamped or bent into the shape shown thereby to comprise the body portion 18 which has the two roll-receiving apertures 19 and the two roll-receiving spaces 20 and which also is provided with the curved neck 21 adapted to fit over the shaft or central connecting portion 30 between the two rear under rolls, as shown in Fig. 1. The body member of this guard device has struck up therefrom the guard fingers or guard members 22, said guard members being arranged in pairs and there being three such pairs. When the device shown in Fig. 3 is placed in position the body portion is situated between the two pairs of rolls and the neck 21 hooks over or embrace the necked portion 30 of the rear under rolls. The middle under rolls 3 project up through the slots or openings 19, as seen in Fig. 4c, and the front under rolls project up through the openings 20.

The guard fingers of each pair may be spaced any desired distance apart according to the length of the traverse it is desired to give the yarn, and as they project up above the plane in which the roving or yarn is moving, they constitute stops which limit the traversing movement of the yarn. The presence of these guard fingers makes it impossible for the yarn or roving to be thrown off from the ends of the top rolls and therefore with my improved device, it is possible to give the yarn a length of traverse substantially equal to the length of the top rolls without danger of having the yarn broken.

Where the guard fingers are formed on a plate, as shown in Fig. 3, said plate will be provided with the opening 32 through which the stirrup 6 extends. It is not essential to my invention that the fingers be formed by striking them up from a piece of sheet metal, as shown in Fig. 3, although this is a convenient way of making them.

I believe I am the first to provide top roll mechanism with guard fingers situated between the pairs of top rolls for the pur pose of limiting the traverse of the yarn or roving, and I intend to cover this feature broadly regardless of the manner in which said guard fingers are made and the way in which they are supported.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a top roll mechanism, the combination with a plurality of drawing rolls, of guard fingers or stops associated with said rolls and arranged to limit the traversing movement of the yarn as it is drawn or passes through the rolls.

2. In a top roll mechanism, the combination with a plurality of pairs of cooperating drawing rolls, of a pair of guard fingers or stops situated between adjacent pairs of drawing rolls and arranged to limit the traversing movement of the yarn or roving.

3. In a top roll mechanism, the combination with a plurality of pairs of cooperating drawing rolls, of a pair of guard members situated on the delivery side of each pair of drawing rolls, said guard members acting to limit the traversing movement of the yarn as it passes through said rolls.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEWIS T. HOUGHTON.

Witnesses:

LOUIS 0. SMITH, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND. 

